Beyond the Lilac Fence
by Silver Days
Summary: [AU] 1948, Marseille, France. Kai is a boy who lived his life on the streets, often stealing to survive. Once he gets into Miss Beifong's foster home after a failed act of thievery, he is faced with a world to which he was a stranger, as well as people who are nothing like the ones he used to know. Take that elusive book-loving girl who likes to stay on the edge. Jinora.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

* * *

 **May 1948**

"I'm Kai. Eleven years old. I don't know my last name. Been living in this town since always. My parents didn't tell me it was wrong because they're dead. I stole these because I needed food. You would do the same if you lived the way I live. And I told you about this sack, I found it on the road."

The officer noted everything Kai said, after an hour of squeezing out the answers from his mouth. The boy looked to the floor, then to the ceiling in discomfort and annoyance, refusing to meet the policemen's eyes. For the first time, they got him and all the money he managed to gather by more or less orthodox ways. There went everything he planned and all the schemes he thought of. And the worst part of all, Skoochy was still somewhere around the city, free and away from all the stress. He wasn't going to be sent to an orphanage either, or whatever the officer had in mind for Kai. He was caught and there was no way out for the moment.

The man rubbed his chin, then brought the hand to his forehead, seemingly tired of everything he had to deal with for the moment. "Well," he said turning his face to the other policemen, "since we got back the money and have the boy, I know a place where we can send him for some re-education."

Kai's eyes widened and a wave of unsettlement and realization hit him full force. They were going to throw him into another bloody orphanage, or worse. It wasn't uncharted territory to him: he could name at least three times he had to live in that kind of place, running from one to another, but every single one was no better than the street. At least the street had no one to bother him, or shout at him. He even made allies, _but_ , he reminded himself, _Skoochy is free and I'm not. I have to get out of here quick._

The officer fidgeted with the car keys and got up to talk to the other men. When they tilted their heads sideways to get a better glance of him, they looked like shooting lava from their soulless eyes. Kai saw his belongings being taken away and stuffed aside, while the officer wordlessly took him to the car. He would've cherished the breath of fresh air when they exited the police section more if that hadn't meant that he was taken to another place that would bind him to be an 'obedient and respectful young man'.

Whatever was the place they were driving him to, he could manage to escape. He would sneak out quickly and without any pain or resentment, just like taking off a bandage. His right knee wore one of those, _a battle scar_ , since when he had fallen into a ditch about a week ago, when he and Skoochy got out of Monsieur Varrick's bakery with hands full of pastry and heavier pockets. They had gotten into a brief fight because of the lost money, but eventually worked it out. Kai wondered if Skoochy actually had a plan of reuniting with him or at least an idea of where he was. He could have expected him to be in a police car: it wasn't the first time. While Kai was bundling his head with thoughts, the car stopped. The officer slipped off his chair, then opened Kai's door and took a grip of his arm, effortlessly holding him so he wouldn't run.

Kai took notice of the place they stopped by. It didn't look like an orphanage from outside, being a quite tall building with a spruced up yard full of roses opening up on one side, and a large alley on the other. The whole ground was locked up with an impressive-looking black gate with elegant swirled tips that could've rivaled the mayor's house's one.

A woman showed up behind the gate while he was still measuring the place with his gaze. He didn't, however, plan on having to stare at the surroundings for too long. He had a plan to pursue. If it wasn't for the woman's cold look, he would've thought it could be easier. Gray hair, pale green eyes, two pale crimson stripes on her right cheek that looked like scars: she did look almost like an orphanage maid, only her stature was more compelling. Her mouth formed a straight line with corners pointing downwards, a truly welcoming look.

"Miss Beifong, what a pleasure to meet you again," the officer bowed respectfully.

" _Quelle surprise_ , Mako," the woman said dryly. "But let's cut it short: is this boy the reason you came here?"

"First of all, I would ask you how many children are in your custody for the moment."

"Nine. Six girls and three boys."

Officer Mako nodded in understanding. Now that they mentioned the children, Kai noticed a bunch of kids around his age or even younger gathered behind the gates. He shot them a bitter look for a second, then returned to staring at the pavement.

"So I guess you wouldn't mind taking care of a tenth soul, am I right?"

Miss Beifong moved her gaze to the dark-skinned boy held by Mako. Ruffled hair, grown in an undercut, messy clothes, messy everything. She supposed he was a delinquent, given that he had been brought there by the police. She didn't want to ask what the boy had done in the past. Her head was already too overwhelmed with the idea of having to take care of him.

"Doesn't he have any parents? My foster home isn't a re-education camp, nor a prison, Mako."

"I know, Miss Beifong. But this little nuisance," he said dragging Kai closer, "has been living on the streets for a long time when he didn't live in orphanages and had to steal to survive. I know you have a way with the kids and I know you are the right person for him. He needs some _parental guidance._ "

The woman closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Her rationing crashed with the loud whispers of the children glued to the gate. She knew without saying a word to the kid that he would be difficult to tame. That could equal more headaches and less quiet. Another part of her, however, reminded her of the notion of mercy. _Poor kid must have had a tough time_. _If I don't step in, then no one on this planet would and he'd live his life as a pest._ Miss Beifong decided to take up the advice from that particular part called 'conscience'.

"Fine. I'll take him. But that's as many children as I can afford to keep. He won't cause any problems anymore," she declared confidently.

Kai had wished the woman would turn him down, but realized that her foster home could be the most convenient option.

"Thank you so much, Chief. His name is Kai, by the way."

"My pleasure," Miss Beifong put on a polite grin, taking another look at the boy that now had a name. "But I thought I told you not to call me like that anymore a long time ago."

"It is hard to believe how time passed. But everyone at our section remembers Lin Beifong, Miss."

The conversation lasted one more frustrating minute before officer Mako stepped into the car and got away, leaving a thin streak of smoke behind.

Now aware of the fact that Lin knew they were there staring impolitely, the children group dissipated, leaving only Miss Beifong and Kai at the entrance. As the woman closed the gate, she grabbed Kai's arm and dragged him firmly into the house.

"First of all, you take a bath," Lin said sternly.

Kai groaned to himself in annoyance, now reconsidering the 'best option' idea. A lucky escape began sounding more farfetched, but he craved it then more than ever.

The hallway was tall enough to hide a willow in it and long enough to run freely through it, but seemingly it was a house rule that no one could do that as everything looked in its place and motionless. _Rules over rules. Just like any orphanage._ He despised having to follow a strict set of do's and don't's every moment of his life. He despised being there in particular. As he went down the hallway, he noticed a short-haired girl with pigtails and a bun fixing him with her eyes as he passed. He had forgotten about the curious faces and all the accommodation thing he had to get through, which made him despise his situation even more. Kai knew there had to be a way he could get out of the pit he was shoved in.

Jinora moved her eyes along with the new boy. For the briefest moment, she thought he looked cute for a street rat, but quickly shook of the thought from her head like droplets of lead. She didn't like to judge a book by its cover - she learned it mostly with the aid of real books - but she knew from what she had seen and heard that he was nothing but trouble. Hopefully, he wouldn't turn out to be a total jerk, she thought - the house was too peaceful and full of understanding to ruin it with a bad attitude and nature. She sighed and ran back to her room. She heard the other girls whispering suppositions about the newcomer, but she didn't want to talk about it until they knew better.

Lin struggled to comb Kai's damp hair so that it would lie flat, but the strands seemed to have their own mind. Although the boy didn't enjoy being suffocated with attention and kept his brow furrowed since his arrival, he knew better than to make a show out of himself, which would have only ensured his prolonged stay. His silence surprised Miss Beifong too, who expected him to be the 'nuisance' Mako had been talking about. He looked like finally finding his place.

Kai didn't think about this not even when Lin presented him his new clothes. He presumed they had been owned by another child who wasn't there anymore. Their smell, the light air of the house, everything seemed so bizarre and awfully inert.

"It's good. You look better," Lin said clapping her hands, her face still lacking in the slightest hint of a smile. "I'll show you your bedroom now. Remember: don't break or tear anything, don't do the furniture harm and keep it clean. If not, it's going down for you," she continued nonchalantly. "Understood?"

Kai groaned like a little child while Lin's hand on his back guided him through the complicated hallways. He began to grow tired of all the nagging, and tired in general. He just wanted to lie down to put his thoughts into order.

"That is not an answer," Miss Beifong insisted. "Stop frowning and being cold and give me an answer."

"Then why don't you do the same?" Kai dared to say, and the woman stopped and looked at him threateningly. He didn't break his gaze and didn't seem affected by her piercing, scolding eyes. She didn't say any word and returned to leading him in his room.

 _He's a clever little bastard._

When he entered the dining room after an hour, he encountered a long table covered in a shiny white sheet, girls on one side and boys on the other. He noticed that the children that were staring at him through the gate's bars when he was brought by the officer did the same thing in that moment. Their multicoloured eyes were studying him from all the angles and he could hear his internal self screaming _Stop it!_. Miss Beifong stormed out of the kitchen, but slowed down her pace when she noticed Kai standing in the doorstep with the same unimpressed figure.

"You're finally here," she muttered and took his arm to bring him closer to the table. He had been carried around in that way so many times that day that he wanted to simply wrest out the woman's grip.

"Children, I want to present you Kai. He will be staying with us from now on," she spoke with her most diplomatic voice. "Kai, meet Cara, Jinora, Elina, Adaline, Mimi, Tia," she announced the girls' names and each of them stepped up, "Basil, Jerome and Caleb." The boy saw a few smiles starting to creep onto several children's faces, but he had no interest in retaining her names or figures.

"Sit down," Miss Beifong gestured towards an unoccupied place. "I'm bringing you the soup in a moment," she assured the children. "Stay still."

Kai put two hands on the table and raised his tired gaze. He rolled his eyes to get a better outlook of the room. He realized that the inside was just as impressive as the outside, with the same high ceiling and fancy decorations that seemed to keep showing up. Meanwhile, the children exchanged a few awkward looks, collectively thinking how to get closer to the newcomer.

He wasn't exactly in the mood for talking.

"Uhm, hi," Elina started cautiously, and Kai slowly moved his emerald eyes to her. "Are you feeling good?" she tried.

Kai shrugged uninterested.

"You know," Jerome slid in, "Miss Beifong may seem a witch, but she is really nice once you get to know her."

"Maybe," he said with the same bored tone. He couldn't believe he was still locked there with that little army of headaches. As for them, they were content with finally hearing his voice. Kai leaned his elbows on the table and sheltered his head between his hands. Tia wanted to comment that he shouldn't lean in like that, but ultimately realized that he had plenty of time to learn the etiquette. He had just been ushered out of the street, and besides, he somehow looked intimidating.

Jinora toyed with the fork at her right for a few moments, then tilted her head to watch Kai again. She was already one of the older children and he seemed to be about her age, one year older at most. _He doesn't seem very communicative_ , she thought and remembered seeing him walking down the grand hallway with the same expression, apparently not noticing she was around. "Are you shy?" she managed to make up a question.

"I'm _not,_ " he answered visibly irritated by all the unwanted attention.

Miss Beifong arrived with two trays of bowls of soup and promptly told Kai, "Elbows off the table." He hardly obliged.

The woman carefully placed a bowl of rust-coloured soup in front of every child and brushed away a few strands of loose hair from her face. " _Bon appétit,"_ she said smacking her hands together like dusting off flour. "We have dessert today, but only if you eat everything." The last phrase earned a timid cheering from around the table.

Kai looked at the mass of good-smelling liquid and it looked back at him, luring him. He put a hand on the silver spoon – he hadn't used such thing in a long while – and in a minute, the bowl was shiny clean.

Caleb and Jerome sipped carefully on the hot soup, squeezing their eyes shut. "Can't wait 'til Korra comes back," the former commented. "I think Miss Beifong forgot how to use the vegetables."

"I miss Korra too," Cara intervened. "Still, the soup is not so…" she cattishly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, almost letting out a cough. "…not so bad."

"Eat it all, guys," Basil said between gulps. "I'd _die_ for some cake."

Kai couldn't remember the last time he had such a pleasing meal, which was also warm. He rubbed his eyes and waited. He saw the other children fancy with small sips and handkerchiefs; moreover, they didn't look like enjoying the food at all. _Patsies._

"Are you done?" Miss Beifong swiftly asked passing by. "This is all you get to eat until evening." She stopped when she saw that Kai had finished his soup, so she took his bowl and spoon back to the kitchen. A strange feeling of mercy brewed up inside her, which was a reminder that the boy didn't came from a place where he could get such meals on a basis. "Look, someone who knows how to eat properly," she commented teasingly. "Looks like he's the only one who's getting cake."

The other children picked up the pace, eager to get a plate of dessert. It was a rarity, given their precarious financial situation, but Lin didn't want to worry the children with such less important affairs. After a while, she returned with smoothly cut slices of chocolate cake, which were warmly welcomed. Kai rushed to place his fingers on the treasure, but Miss Beifong wordlessly pointed him the small spoon with the same pair of cold eyes.

It tasted like all the rainbows and all the freshly bloomed flowers, with a hint of the funny feeling when you get to lie on the soft grass after a long day. _Skoochy would throw himself off a bridge for this_ , Kai thought and took another bite. They would have managed to steal cake from Monsieur Varrick too if it wasn't for the very short amount of time, in which they still worked like a fine watch. He could swear he had heard the man marvel angrily over the amount of food they managed to steal. _Good times,_ he reminded himself. _I'm going to find Skoochy tonight. I will._

"Now it's sleep time," Miss Beifong announced loudly.

Kai's brow furrowed at the thought of having to sleep in the afternoon, but ultimately decided to go to his room and lie down. A tornado of thoughts formed in his mind, but the fatigue proved to be stronger. He slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a deep slumber.

When he woke up, it was almost evening. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw various numbers and strange characters, but he recognized the position of the pointers: it was almost 18 o' clock.

He decided to walk down to the court to stretch himself for a bit. On the way down, he encountered the same girl with a bun that had stared at him when he arrived. She was holding a book on her knees, her head slightly leaned on. He tried to remember her name, and decided she was either Jinora or Cara. He settled with Jinora. _Strange girl must have a strange name._ He then remembered there was no use in keeping track of everyone as he was going to leave everything behind anyway. Slow but steady, that time was coming.

Jinora saw him walking lonely to the outdoors. _He surely likes to sleep_ , she reckoned. She wanted to tell him something, but her mind didn't work quickly enough as he already disappeared behind the doors. Moving her eyes back to the lost paragraph, she decided she was going to have plenty of other chances, and besides, he was still in the accommodation phase. However, he already didn't look like a _street rat_ anymore.

The air was warm and smooth, painted with a faint fragrance of lilac. His gaze moved to a stone fence covered in lilac which he hadn't remembered to notice in the first place. He scooted closer to the fence out of curiosity, making his way through a group of three girls who jumped the rope. The other two were drawing some indecipherable sketches on the ground with chalk.

A flying football ball barely missed him and crashed into the iron gate. "I told you not to kick it with the top of your foot, Jerome," one of the boys shouted and went on to recuperate the ball. He took notice of the new boy and approached him cautiously.

"You know, Miss Beifong doesn't allow us to rip these flowers. I bet she has a nice steel bat ready for exactly this kind of delinquency," he tried to lighten him up.

"I wasn't going to," said Kai uninterested and shoved his hands into the pockets of his new pants.

A few moments passed before the boy spoke again. "I'm Basil, by the way," he presented himself and offered a hand. Kai looked at him and noticed his blond hair and dark blue trousers held by white suspenders. His beige shirt wore a small stain of the dirt, possibly from the game they were playing. He reluctantly shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

"Wanna join us? We'll have two teams of two now that you're here. You'll get to know Jerome and Caleb, too."

His doe-eyed attitude made Kai suspicious, but he decided to join in to kill the time. He managed to score enough so that he and Basil's team would squash the other one.

The children went to the bed with the sunset. Kai made a sack out of his bed sheet in which he stuffed everything apparently valuable form around his room. He thought of getting some food from the kitchen too, but scrapped off the idea out of his slight fear of waking up Miss Beifong.

Jinora never went to sleep when everyone did. She liked to stay in her blanket fortress with the lamp open until her eyes hurt due to reading so late, hence it wasn't unusual for her to go to sleep even close to midnight. Nevertheless, she always was among the first ones to wake up, and she liked to help Miss Beifong with her duties. That particular evening, she left the book she was reading aside – a long novel she had been thumbing through for a week – and turned around to gaze on the window. The magnetizing faint darkness of the late spring nights had always fascinated her, and she would find herself staring at the same street she had in view ever since she knew herself when the sun went to sleep. She started to see colours and lights that no one was able to discern. This time, she saw Kai. He was carrying a white sack on his back and seemed to have the intention of jumping over the gate. _He wouldn't._

She slipped into her only trench coat and swiftly made her way outside.

Kai had jumped over countless fences during his lifetime, but the iron black gate he was facing was utterly nerve wracking. No slot to properly place his foot in, nothing to grab, and the worst part was that the gate was almost twice as tall as him. He tried once again, but stumbled halfway. When he heard footsteps coming his way, he struggled to get off, but his foot was stuck in the space between bars. He turned his face and sighed in relief when he realized it was only that strange girl, _Jinora._

"What are you doing?" she naturally asked, even if she knew the answer.

"Getting away. Now leave me alone," he shut her out.

Jinora pursed her lips and gathered her thoughts. "So you can do what? Live on the streets like a cockroach for the rest of your life? I thought you would love to stay here, I mean, there are people who take care of you, so you don't have to live on the tight rope – "

"You don't understand," he said firmly.

"Yes, I do. Actually," she raised the tone of her voice slightly, "you can try to get out if you want. But those pointy tips will pierce your butt and you won't be able to get too far with that. And besides, Miss Beifong will wonder where you went and I will be the only witness. Unfortunately for you, I won't be able to lie about what happened."

Kai closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. He would have never thought that the quiet book-loving girl would be able to talk that much and be so awfully persuasive. He rolled his eyes, not facing her.

"Why do you even care?"

Jinora scooted closer to him, trying to establish eye contact. "Because it's the normal thing to do," she spoke softly. "You simply _have_ to care. Do you know what would happen if nobody cared? If Miss Beifong hadn't cared for us, we all would have lived our life on the streets or somewhere where we wouldn't have been taken care of, maybe without a roof over our heads or people to tell us what is wrong and what is right. She saved us because she cared. And you're here because of the same reason. Do you really want to ruin your well-being like that?"

Kai bowed his head, trying to put his thoughts into order. _She surely is a meddler,_ he groaned and put a foot on the ground.

A light turned on inside the house, and Jinora quickly took notice of it. "It must be Miss Beifong," she whispered. "Let's get out of here fast, or else she will be really mad."

Kai managed to stick his foot out of the gate and followed Jinora behind the corner. She guided him around a few trashcans and the two hid in a niche. Miss Beifong was indeed awakened by the voices from outside, and she was surprised to hear Jinora staying outside so late. Her scrutinizing eyes skimmed the surroundings, but without finding any track of a sleepless child.

"Maybe we can jump to the balcony," Jinora proposed pointing upwards.

"Worth trying," Kai decided and carefully raised himself on one of the trashcans. When he heard a loud thumping of boots coming closer to the two, his legs failed him for once, making him lose equilibrium and gracefully fall over Jinora, knocking down the trashcan in the process.

Lin Beifong was merciless.

"What are you two doing _here and now_?" she stormed.

Jinora lifted herself slightly from the ground, staking herself with the arm that wasn't trapped under Kai. "We were taking out the trash in advance," she tried weakly.

If it wasn't for the thickening darkness, Jinora could've sworn Miss Beifong's features were starting to throw off steam.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

There was something about everything that had happened that made Kai wish he actually risked his bottom to jump over the imposing gate. First of all, he wouldn't have been forced to explain why he was outside in the heat of the night with a girl and a dubious white sack, which also looked like freshly washed bed sheets. Second, if he had been gone quick enough, he would have met with Skoochy in no time under one of the bridges that underwent reconstruction, their favorite place to sleep overnight. They even faced the war together and got away unhurt. But the worst part of all was that Jinora had to tell Miss Beifong _the truth_ : they were sneaking away. To catch a cat. And the animal was hidden in the mysterious sack so they would carry it in their rooms unnoticed.

Surely, the woman had marveled at how quickly the two seemed to bond, but naturally had asked them to release the cat on place. Kai had pretended to untie the sack and shove it over the fence, but in reality, the sack ended up in the neighbor's yard along with all the possessions in it unharmed. The boy had to sleep in a much emptier room on an uncovered bed, which he didn't actually mind.

The unfavorable part was that now he owed Jinora and he would owe her for good. She was going to put pressure on him for the rest of their times without even wanting to: "Remember when I saved your sorry butt from Miss Beifong's wrath? I mean nothing, I was just unraveling some good memories."

He had to get out of that place of the damned.

Jinora didn't really think about it, and in no case she thought Kai had to grant her anything: he was just a misguided stupid boy with a stupid idea that he can achieve something if he leaves Miss Beifong's _purgatory_ behind. Inevitably, she saw no reason to wish for a better place to live. She had been in Miss Beifong's care since she knew herself and found in her a mother, a guardian, and a bigger heart than everyone else's. It wasn't obvious, but she knew. Jinora had built herself a love and a respect for that place that she didn't expect Kai would understand right away.

If Miss Beifong had come in Kai's room, she would have erupted. It looked nothing like before. He had never seen her furious and he didn't want to. He was torn between trying to escape one more time and fetching the discarded sack. He hoped he could get some help from somewhere, a window through which he could sneak out and find the solution. Eventually, it came.

"Do you know how to read this?" Lin asked him motioning towards a large and seemingly expensive painting.

There was a tiny plaquette with the name of the painting, the painter, and the year it had been created carved on it. Kai narrowed his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and before he could take another breath –

"I knew it. Wait patiently in your room or something and we'll talk again in two hours."

Miss Beifong herded the rest of the children into a larger hall, leaving Kai alone with himself in the whole house. He took another look at the plaquette out of curiosity, but he still couldn't distinguish any characters except number one. That one had proved itself easy to recognize: a single stick, a unity, nothing else. One.

An hour passed heavily and Kai found himself staring at the window. He had never thought he would actually get a moment of peace, quiet and serenity, all alone with his thoughts. Or that it would turn out so boring. He tried to use the time to put up another escape plan, but it was harder than he thought. It was like the universe wanted to keep him in chains for everything he'd done. He suddenly felt a need to talk to someone and break the silence. His room was emptier and the scorching sun made even the wind seem like blowing in slow motion.

Not a few minutes passed that he found someone familiar to talk to. And it was the best luck of his life that that person strolling down the street was no one other than Skoochy. Kai didn't even take his time to gasp; he slipped into his shoes and stormed downstairs. He arrived almost crashing into the big gate right when the other boy was passing in front of it.

" _Skoochy!_ " he whispered as loudly as possible.

He stopped walking like he suddenly met a stone wall and turned his face towards Kai. His head was almost begging to slip through the bars and he seemed much cleaner than usual. Then it struck him: he ended up in a foster home.

A pretty luxurious one.

"Kai! Wow, man… So this is where they thrown you in."

"Skoochy, you have to get me outta here. This place is driving me mad, I don't want to live the rest of my days in this hell!"

" _This hell?_ It looks to me like you've struck gold. Do they treat you bad here?"

Kai widened his eyes. He didn't expect Skoochy to hesitate in helping them reunite right away. "No, but that's beside the point. Quick, think of something ingenious to help me get over this damned gate," he said hitting the bars.

Skoochy rubbed his chin and lowered his eyes. His lifetime friend seemed in a difficult position, but didn't exactly look at its sanest. "Kai, do you really want to get back to living on the streets?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you finally have a home and a bed to sleep in. And I suppose, someone to take care of you. Do you really want to make your life harder?"

When he had heard Jinora say that, he wasn't surprised at all. He had expected her to not understand where he aimed. But Skoochy… He suddenly felt a liquid flame build up in him.

"Are you _nuts_?"

"No, I think _you_ are being nuts, Kai." His newfound apparent maturity made Kai even angrier.

"Skoochy, help me get out this instant," he demanded.

The boy sighed and departed himself slightly from the iron bars.

"I guess I should tell you, man… My uncle came back home and I have to find him. Can you believe it? I have finally found a good family, the only one besides you who's ever cared about me. The truth is, I don't want to come back living the way you want. The thought that we're somehow gonna end up rich is stupid and you should forget that. I'm turning over a new leaf and you should to the same thing." He paused and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm leaving now. Farewell, man. May we see each other someday."

Kai watched in shock his only friend, his only chance to escape vanishing behind a hummock of concrete. "Skoochy, come back!" His whispers turned into a straight out shouting. "Don't leave me like this, you bastard! Skoochy! Man!…"

He was irremediably trapped there. He leaned his head on the bars and looked down at the ground he had to get used to. His gaze had never been more bleary and unclear. It was regret that was coiling up inside him, but the sudden realization that his life would never be the same was more powerful. _Well, this is it,_ he thought as he pressed his face onto the bars, keeping an empty look at the empty street.

It was a dead silence until a children's laughter broke in from the house. They finished their classes with Miss Beifong, who had a schedule to teach them grammar and math each day between nine and twelve. She did it based solely on her knowledge, but the kids did learn as much as they would have at any other school. As the city was rebuilding, people were raising on their feet on the same way, beaming souls with debris and ruins shaking up inside their bodies with every step.

Kai didn't bother to look back to the court, but was determined to by a smooth hand tapping on his back. It was Jinora, _of course._ Somehow, his existence began being intertwined with hers at an uncomfortable level. But if he was going to stay in Miss Beifong's care, he would have had to get used to constant attention and people surrounding him.

It was suffocating.

"Um, Miss Beifong wants to see you."

Kai shoved his hands into his pockets without answering. Jinora wasn't the most talkative person, but she didn't enjoy being given the cold treatment. Mostly because she was used with people who kept no big secrets from anyone and were arguably open books, willing to discuss freely. Even Miss Beifong was, or at least struggled to seem like a sunny day. Kai had been a stormy night ever since his arrival, which hadn't even been a long time ago.

As he was walking carelessly, Jinora remembered a crucial fact. She scooted closer to him and spoke with a barely audible voice,

"I think we should get back the sack you've thrown over the fence. You know, until the neighbor, _Monsieur Varrick_ , finds it and puts a lot of questions, and also because I think you'll need the lamp." _You could've avoided all these things if you weren't such a dunderhead._

Kai froze for a moment.

"Monsieur Varrick? The bakery owner? Didn't he live, well, where his bakery is?"

"He's a renown man in this town has a pretty consistent fortune. So he's got a house and a tree orchard to match it, and he happens to live next to us. Anyway, here's the plan: after you finish what you have to discuss with Miss Beifong, I'm gonna pay him a visit, walk into the orchard where your sack landed, and throw it back to you over the fence. _Capisci?"_

" _Capisci,_ " he responded. He was once again puzzled by Jinora's will to help him, and her words about caring sprung up in his mind like an echo. She was kind, but she didn't seem to know much about real life. The more you care, the harder you fall.

He had learned it the hard way.

"Okay. See you later then," Jinora continued. "Have fun."

Kai almost stumbled over a tread, but underpinned himself on the ivy-coated banister. "Uh, thanks," he answered absentmindedly and disappeared behind the imposing doors.

Miss Beifong was waiting for him to join her at a round table in one of the living rooms. Several overwritten papers were scattered on one side, but she had her stack of blank papers ready under her hand, holding a pen under her index and middle finger.

"I guess you suppose you can live your life without knowing how to read, write, or calculate," she began, "but you won't be able to go anywhere without these abilities. Since you'll be staying here for a while, I'm going to teach you properly and you will be able to take classes along with the other children in a few months if you cooperate. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I do," he responded unenthusiastically.

Miss Beifong slipped a sheet in front of him and readied her pen. "Everything you hear can be written using letters, each one with its own sound." She sketched the whole alphabet on the paper at a blinding speed, which made Kai's tired eyes fidget uncomfortably.

"Let's take your name first of all. We will use a K, an A, and an I," she said circling the respective letters. She wrote his name down clearly for him to remember how to do it. "Now write it yourself. Hold the pen like this," she told him placing the pen in his hand while holding it with her own, "and press softly."

His name appeared once again on the paper. Kai tried to write it himself, but not holding a writing instrument his entire life made it difficult to draw a straight line or not squish the pen's tip. Eventually, he managed to do a shakier version of Lin's writing.

The woman nodded. "Now, I want you to write every letter of the alphabet three times while I'm outside watering the flowers. Rest assured I'll come back."

"Got it," Kai sighed, emphasizing his lack of drive to stay at a table on such a sunny day.

Miss Beifong knew she had a wild trust if she thought Kai would actually be patient enough to learn the letters of the alphabet, but the headache that struck her combined with all the chores she had to do made her find out a compromise.

Naturally, Kai got bored after attempting to write three A's and one B. However, he wasn't the one who liked being shouted at, so he figured out he would just lay in the chair until some magical force of determination would strike him.

He got into the habit of examining the rooms of the house for minutes straight. Although Miss Beifong and the children didn't live in luxury, the building did appear opulent enough to house important personalities. His eyes were glued to several expensive-looking eye-popping decorations subtly scattered everywhere. On the table, a grass green porcelain toad was gazing on the window. Kai turned it around and admired his features, beautifully sculpted. He wasn't used to bright colours and shiny objects, but that made him crave them more. He once had stolen a discarded broche from a counter and had since kept it in his pocket, hoping it would come in useful some time.

Kai fidgeted with a pencil, unknowingly leaving chaotic marks on the paper. He looked at it – a plain, white sheet – and figured that it can wear better marks than meaningless lines. He tried to recreate the toad on the paper, with shaky lines and unwanted smudges. But quarter an hour later, he realized he actually _drawn_ something instead of writing weird-looking letters.

He liked it better this way.

Miss Beifong walked down the hall with a sounding thumping of boots. She was in a hurry. "Kids, I've got something to fetch from the city. Be good and don't break or stain anything until I come back, you know the gist," she announced loudly. She put on her crimson coat, slid in her car and fled swiftly.

Almost immediately, the children started screaming and running around joyfully. Kai sat up to escape the room in which he was confined, but Jinora went ahead and opened the door first.

"Come on, let's rescue the sack from Monsieur Varrick."

Maybe Kai had other things in his mind, but he had to agree and follow the girl (who seemed to have no better things to do than keep track of him). But she always felt the need to help, even if that would mean trespassing at some extent. Jinora was good friends with Varrick anyway.

"What would be the all-around imperious issue for which you disturbed my half an hour of sleeping in the armchair, young lady?" the man asked threateningly.

"Uh," Jinora spoke trying to look away from his insistent wide-eyed look, "I wanted to, well, pick up some cherries from your glorious orchard? _Monsieur_..."

"Hmm…" Varrick muttered rubbing his chin. "Very well," he declared loudly, "go and satisfy your fruity needs, darling. Zhu Li, show her the path then make me a cup of foamy hot chocolate."

"You make it yourself," his wife said in a passive-aggressive fashion. "Come with me, Jinora."

Zhu Li left her in front of a broad field sprinkled with cherry trees, all bearing bunches of fleshy dark red cherries. Jinora fought away the impulse of making the fruit vanish mysteriously from Varrick's field and set out to find the white sack.

On the other side of the fence, the boy was waiting impatiently for a sign of life from the other side. Maybe she was abducted by the evil baker and held hostage. Or maybe she decided to live her life forever away from all the madness of Miss Beifong's house. Either situation meant that she would leave him alone, which didn't look like such a bad prospect. Shortly before he could officially become bored, he found himself with a sack full of hard objects hitting his head, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Did you catch it?" Jinora asked from over the fence.

"With my head, yes. Great job," he muttered sarcastically. "Why did you have to throw it rough side down?"

"Sorry, then. Well, maybe you shouldn't have tried to escape in the first place."

"Do you always like to lecture people on everything?" he said rubbing his head.

"I'm not hearing a thank you…"

"You're not getting it," Kai groaned. "Ouch…"

"Then maybe you don't want these sweet big cherries I've found here. They taste amazing and there are _a lot_ in here _._ Sorry, Kai. I think I'm going to eat them all."

"What? Cherries? Jinora! Wha – Give me some too!"

She answered by humming happily while picking some more cherries. Part of her wanted to let the poor kid taste some of them, but another part wanted to infuriate him, just for fun. He had been kind of a nuisance anyway.

"Fine," Kai declared and shoved the sack on his back. He entered the house to put the things back in their place and get some peace.

A heat wave was slowly filling the halls, slowing the time down and injecting a dreaming state into the chambers. While Elina and Tia were clapping their hands on the stairway, the other kids seemed to have grown tired and went to sleep. Their usual schedule could hardly be disrupted.

While Kai was walking to his room, he met a happy-looking Basil jumping down the hall towards him.

"Hi there, Kai," he greeted. "What's in that sack?"

"Nothing," he promptly answered.

"Come on, I can keep a secret. I have kept thousands and didn't spoil a single one of them. Mostly because I forget them easily," he laughed.

"Well, it's none of your business," Kai said trying to get past him.

"It's not, but you can trust me I won't tell." He brought a hand to his heart. "Promise."

Basil did seem inoffensive. Although Kai grew into a habit of not trusting anyone, he thought that no one would believe the boy anyway if he happened to tell.

"There are some things from my room in here, I've thrown them over the fence so Miss Beifong won't realize I've been trying to escape."

"I see," Basil nodded in understanding. "So, you wanna leave now?"

Kai looked away for a moment and sighed. "Guess not," he answered unenthusiastically.

"You'll be good here. It must have been hard for you all these years. I'll keep your side."

"It's not a big deal if it doesn't turn out well. I've been through it before. Still, thanks," he spoke with the tiniest of smiles. "By the way, why aren't you sleeping now like the others?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Basil spoke with a low voice. Kai nodded. The former gestured to the other to lean in, then brought his mouth to his ear.

"I found some of Miss Beifong's milk coffee and drank a big cup. Now I can't sleep. At all. Let's hope I can go to bed before midnight."

Kai burst into laughter, almost dropping his bed sheet sack. "Really?" he asked with a wide grin. Basil approved, pursing his lips in an attempt to fight back his own laughter.

"That sucks. Don't drink too much of what you haven't drunk before. I know better," Kai chuckled.

"Thanks for advice," Basil said.

Kai adjusted his sack, which seemed to get heavier with every step. "I'm going to my room. See you later, I guess."

"Sure. See you later." The boy turned away and went downstairs with a grin on his face.

Kai unpacked his things and a wave of realization struck him. If he had escaped, he would have been alone on the streets, as Skoochy would have turned his back to him and set out to find his uncle. He would have had no one to care about him. But none of that happened. And who is to blame for this?

 _Jinora. I owe her a 'thank you',_ he thought after a long ponder.

He went back to the room in which Miss Beifong wanted to teach him how to write and found the toad drawing sitting on the table. _This will do, I guess._

After he went out on the front door, he found Jinora just returning from Monsieur Varrick's with a bag full of cherries.

"Jinora!" he almost shouted, and realized his voice sounded louder amidst the poignant silence of the summer afternoon. "Well, uh, thanks for helping me out. With everything. So I guess I owe you," he spoke nonchalantly. He brought out the drawing and handed it over to the girl. "Take this."

Jinora's eyes widened in surprise. Not only he actually thanked her for what she had done, but it turned out that he, a child who had never held a pen, had a gift for _drawing._ It wasn't a masterpiece, she thought, but it was a really pretty-looking toad.

"Thank you, Kai. It looks beautiful. Look, I picked some cherries for you too. I didn't plan on not giving some to you too," she said with a slight shyness. "Everything okay?"

"Sure," he said. "I guess I'll stay here from now on."

"You'll not regret it," Jinora brightened up. "We always have lots of fun."

"By…sleeping and learning?"

"No, dummy. You'll find out." She stretched out a hand. "Friends?"

Kai looked at her hand, then at her eyes, and thought that he already made too many compromises to matter.

"Friends," he said shaking her hand.

While they were talking, Caleb, Jerome and Adaline went to the gate behind their backs and sticked their faces to the bars. Miss Beifong's car was approaching, but she wasn't alone. A familiar blue-eyed figure was standing in the passenger seat.

"Guys, it's Korra! Korra came back!" Jerome announced with a wide grin.

All the children swiftly came out from wherever they were lying and came to the entrance to greet the woman. Korra put on a wide smile as soon as she saw the mob through the car's glass.

Kai didn't know what was all that about, but he had plenty of time to learn. Either he expected it to be or not, it was his home now.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll try to update this as often as I can, but I can't promise I will do it regularly. However, I'm not letting this story down. Thanks for getting here, and thanks to Hope7 for being an awesome beta!**


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